Nanotherapies for Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease: a Case for Antioxidant Targeted Delivery

Purpose of Review Cardiovascular disease (CVD) involves a broad range of clinical manifestations resulting from a dysfunctional vascular system. Overproduction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species is causally implicated in the severity of vascular dysfunction and CVD. Antioxidant therapy is an attractive avenue for treatment of CVD-associated pathologies. Implementation of targeted nanoantioxidant therapies has the potential to overcome hurdles associated with systemic delivery of antioxidants. This review examines the currently available options for nanotherapeutic targeting CVD, and explores successful studies showcasing targeted nanoantioxidant therapy. Recent Findings Active targeting strategies in the context of CVD heavily focus on immunotargeting to inflammatory markers like cell adhesion molecules, or to exposed extracellular matrix components. Targeted antioxidant nanotherapies have found success in pre-clinical studies. Summary This review underscores the potential of targeted nanocarriers as means of finding success translating antioxidant therapies to the clinic, all with a focus on CVD.